Marvel vs. DC : 12 Similar Characters in DC and Marvel Comics

If you are a fan of superheroes, then you will definitely be aware of the rivalry between the two comic book publishing giants, Marvel, and DC Comics. In addition to the tough competition between the two rival giants, we also see some bitterness within the fans of characters from each universe, both in terms of superiority and powers.

Recently, a huge spike in the rivalry between Superman and Batman fans was witnessed during the release of Man of Steel: Dawn of Justice (2016) and the same is going on between Captain America and Iron Man fans because of the upcoming Marvel movie, Captain America: Civil War (2016).

Well, there’s often an argument about superiority between Superman and Batman within DC universe or the best man among Iron Man and Captain America within Marvel Universe, but in addition to that there’s also a budding rivalry between Iron Man and Batman among the fans across both universe, mainly due to their similar background, about who is the best.

The reason for such rivalry could be the mainly because of the visible similarities between the major characters from both Marvel and DC Universe. In fact, many times, the creators of most of the famous DC or Marvel Universe have confessed that they were inspired by a similar character from the rival universe or the characters were introduced to cash in on the popularity of the superhero from their rival comic book competitors.

Well, there could be a lot of speculations and arguments about such rivalry and similarities between the two universes. However, we can’t possibly deny that there are some characters within both the universe that have uncanny similarity with their counterpart from the opponent universe.

Hence, today we bring you some of the best comparisons between the popular characters or superheroes from both DC and Marvel and let you decide yourself about the resemblances between your favorite superhero and its rival on the other end.

Same kind of characters in DC and Marvel Universe

Batman (1939) – Moon Knight (1975)

One of the two prime superheroes in the DC Universe, Batman is a normal human being without any superpowers but is a master of many different martial arts as well as relies on his wide array of gadgets that includes Batmobile, while he is on his mission to fight crimes in Gotham City. Although he is highly compared with Iron Man from the Marvel Universe mainly because of the similar backgrounds, the best comparison we found for Batman is Moon Knight from Marvel Comics.

Well, the basic reason for the comparison is the look and similarity between the costumes of both these superheroes. Also, there’s a slight resemblance in their names too as Batman is also often referred to as The Dark Knight because of all his crime hunting happens at night when the crime is at its peak. Yet another similarity is the reliance on the use of gadgets as both the superheroes are highly tactical with their approach and use their hand-to-hand combat skills to triumph over their opponents.

Green Arrow (1941) – Hawkeye (1964)

Well, it’s a no-brainer as the biggest similarity between both Green Arrow from DC Comics and Hawkeye of Marvel Comics is the fact that both are highly trained and skilful archers. Besides that one fact, there are no basic similarities between the two characters from the alternate universe of the comic book themes. While Green Arrow is a vigilante superhero, who leads from the front with his aids, Hawkeye, on the other hand, is a team player and is an integral part of The Avengers.

As for similarity, we can also count the fact that Green Arrow is to Justice League of America, what Hawkeye is to The Avengers.

Catwoman (1940) – Black Cat (1979)

Catwoman is often seen as the love interest for Batman, whereas Black Cat is mostly linked with Spider-Man. The main resemblance is their look and their name. Both fancy the look of a cat as their secret identity as well as have a nag of stealing and being on the other side of the crime, unlike their boyfriends.

Until Black Cat receives super powers from Kingpin, both the women relied on their sharp mental agility and skills in hand-to-hand combats. Also, both of them had a relationship of love and hate with their respective superhero boyfriends.

Deathstroke (1980) – Deadpool (1991)

The comparisons made till now may have been a mere coincidence; however Marvel creators have confessed that the hit character of Deadpool of the Marvel Universe was inspired from Deathstroke of DC comics. Even the names of the men behind the masks, Slade Wilson (Deathstroke) and Wade Wilson (Deadpool) have visible similarities that can’t be ignored.

However, the background of both the characters is very different. While Slade Wilson starts off as a positive character and becomes a supervillain when he dons the mask of Deathstroke, Wade Wilson, on the other hand, becomes Deadpool after he was kicked out of United States Army Special Forces, later exploited as Weapon X and then eventually becomes mighty Deadpool.

Namor (1939) – Aquaman (1941)

After covering the flying and land based superheroes, let’s move on to the superheroes inhabiting the ocean world. Aquaman and Namor are the superheroes from the ocean world for DC Comics and Marvel Comics respectively. Although, both the superheroes have different backgrounds, there are few common links between the two characters that helps us draw comparisons between the two alternate characters from DC and Marvel Universe.

Both these superheroes can live under the sea, yet possess a different set of superpowers and skills.